Say My Name, Say My Name

First off, I sincerely apologize to anyone who now has that Destiny’s Child song (above in the title) now stuck in their head. It’s totally stuck in mine on crazy repeat. Blerg. I have an unusual name. I get that. My parents chose it because they wanted me to be unique (and oh boy did I live up to that…muhaha!). It’s not a name you see very often or ever, so it makes sense that you wouldn’t know how to pronounce it. It’s Rena, pronounced like “Tina” with an “R” or like “Reno” with an “A” on the end. I honestly don’t know how I can make it clearer to people that that’s how you say it. Should I change the spelling to “Rina” (because personally I think this would be pronounced like something rhyming with “tin” as in “tin can”)?! I have been at the same job for seven years and no matter how many times I correct some people, they say my name wrong. I get “Ray-na” a lot. It didn’t used to bug me, but now it does. Maybe because my last name is now also commonly mispronounced (stinkin’ Germans). I make a conscious effort to say people’s name right now because of how much it bothers me. Do people pronounce your name wrong? If so, does it drive you crazy?

Ha!HA!HA! Princess had me read your blog and I had to respond:) I totally resonate with the ineptness of people sometimes. Everyone one in my family gets their name butchered. As you know Tobi is the only one with a semi common name. And he even gets Toby, Tobe,or Tobie as the spelling of his name. Go figure! I’ve been called Bunni, Boomie, Bumbi, Bumni, Bumee,… and the list goes on:) Tolu gets tulo? Toye Toya,or Toee,They always want me to spell my name even though I tell them that spelling it won’t help at all. It cracks me up to silly land and back that I get asked why I spell my name that way. As if I named myself 50 years ago. Now when I get called something else, I just laugh and say,”Now that’s a new one, I will add that to the list”:) Roll with it because we will always have to deal with “people like that.”
Hey, I have an idea. We should all start our own clothing line or something with our names stamped over it or should we start a “How to say that name club” 🙂 Have a great day greet Jesse and the boys!
Love
Bunmi
Prov.17:22

Good post, Rena.
I don’t get my name mispronounced but people mispronounce my daughter’s name wrong and it does drive me nuts; we get “yavon” and “Uhvon”. It’s Yvonne, pronounced “Eevon” with the stress on the ‘on’.

I don’t think your name is that strange… I think people just don’t pay attention!, It’s kind of annoying have to endure mispronounce your name, boders me too!, her in Mexico there’s a Last name similar to mine and people change it all the time, and I do care, ’cause I’m not that person!!

Great outfit! Well put together but doesn’t look intimidating! I’ve had my name mispronounced all my life…so much that in 3rd grade I started going by the nickname Dee. It’s not tough…said how it looks. DeeAnna. I even tried writing it like this for awhile–DeAnna. I’d get Deanne, Diana, Diane, Dee-na. None of those are bad…just not my name. In college I dropped the nickname and actually met another deanna for the first time. My daughter’s name is Naomi. People will ask her name when they meet her/us, I’ll say it and then they mispronounce it. How does THAT happen? I feel bad that people might mispronounce her name during her life, but I LOVE her name and it’s meaning. Grrr… Rena, you have a beautiful name. Like The city Reno but with an A?

One of my closest friends’ name is Jonnay (pronounced: John-A). NO ONE gets it right. People say Joan-ee, Jeanay, Jon-ee, Jah-neh, but never the right way. She went to Hawaii a few weeks ago and was STOKED to meet someone who knew another “Jonnay”. I can’t imagine the frustration when you tell the people at Starbucks your name and then THEY get frustrated when no one comes up to claim “Janette’s” cup of latte. Always wrong.
…and I thought I had it rough when people (even still) tell me that their GRANDMA’S name is Margaret. omg.
😉